Avoid This When You Work From Home
Working remotely seems like the best employment perk, but it comes with some challenges.
“Working remotely offers people a world of benefits, which explains why so many are eager to adopt a telecommuting arrangement,” writes Maurie Backman, for Fast Company. “But doing your job outside of a traditional office setting takes some getting used to, and if you go in unprepared, you could end up struggling or even hurting your career in the process.”
Backman explores three common work-from-home mistakes and how to avoid them:
- You’re distracted. While there are definitely distractions in the office, working from home can present particular challenges like doing laundry or other chores. To combat this, think about what your biggest distractions are and try to eliminate, or work around them.
“For example, if you usually work from your living room, you might go so far as to put the TV remote elsewhere in the house,” writes Backman. “Or, you might pledge to only tackle your laundry in between tasks as a mental break of sorts–but only after you’ve checked a number of key work items off your list.”
- You don’t have a schedule. If you think working from home can help you balance work and life better, you might find that the opposite happens.
“When your personal space and your office space are the same space, the temptation to do “just one more thing” work-wise is always there,” explains Backman. “That can make it a struggle to tear yourself away from your job, even at times when you’re not expected to be on the clock.”
Instead, map out a schedule for when work begins and when it ends; it’ll help keep you from burning out.
- Not being prepared. It’s really difficult to work from home without the proper setup. Ifyou don’t have the right tools, you won’t be as productive, writes Backman.
“The key is to work out your setup appropriately in advance, to ensure that it’s suitable for all your needs. Otherwise, you risk getting frustrated–or worse, derailed,” explains Backman.